Amusement apparatus.



No. 768,303. PATEN'I'ED AUG. 23, 1904.

7 HI NI w AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11, 1903.

F0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

No; 768,303. 'PATBNTED AUG. 23, 1904. H. N. RIDGWAY.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS. APPLIOATION FILED SBPT.11, 1903.

I NO MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

-'"l- All (70. L. I n

UNITE STATES Patented August 23, 1904.

P TENT OFFICE.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS- SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 768,303, dated August 23, 1904.

Application filed September 11, 1903- Serial N0. 172,720. (No model.)

To ($271 whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERBERT N. RIDGWAY,

acitizen of the United States, and a resident of -Winthrop, county of Suffolk, State of Mas 'sachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Amusement Apparatus, of which the followcombined in a single apparatus.

My apparatus,as shown, comprises movable stairs, a slide, a swinging platform, and a turn-table; but in some instances two of the parts may be used to the exclusion of other Figure 1, in side elevation, represents my novel amusement apparatus; Fig. 1, a section in the line as, Fig. 1, looking tothe left; Fig. 2, a'detail of the turn-table at the farther end of the apparatus; Fig. 2, a partial plan showing the lower end of the slide, its net, and the swinging platform. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the operative devices for the stairs; Fig. A, a section of the stairs from top to bottom, and Fig. 5 a rear side elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 4:.

The apparatus shown comprises stairs A, a bridge B, a slide C, a swinging platform D, an incline E, and a turn-table F.

The stairs A comprise, as herein shown,

ten movable treads in two sets, those of one' set being marked a and those of the other set a, said movable treads being located intermediate a bottom step a and a top step of, shown as the landing of; bridge B. The set ofsteps a and a are sustained by carriers composed of stringers a1, cross-beams a and a series of uprights. The uprights 2 carry stairs at, and those marked 3 carry stairs a. Each stringer, beam, and upright is the same; but I have designated them by different letters to enable'the operation of the steps to be thoroughly understood. The uprights free to sag somewhat.

.crease the strength of the apparatus the up rights sustaining some of the treads are extended below the stringer and bolted to the cross-beams a, as represented in Fig. 4.

Under the stairs,Fig. 3, are a plurality of shafts a, and intermediate said shafts there are other parallel shafts (0 (0 0 each ing the train of gears and rotating said shafts at the same speed, shafts (0 66 66 in one direction and the shafts 0 a in the opposite direction. The crank-pins of the pinions carried by the shafts a a a receive loosely about them castings 4:, that are bolted each to one of the three cross-beams a, from which crossbeams rise the series of uprights 2, sustaining treads a.

The alternate treads a derive their motion from the shafts 0 (0 a the pinions carried by them having like crank-pins that receive loosely over them castings 5, that are bolted to cross-beams (0 that in turn sustain the uprights 3, supporting, as stated, the tread a.

As the shafts are rotated the treads rise and fall oppositely that is, when the treads a rise the treads a descend, and vice versa*during each circular movement of the crank-pin, and at the same time both sets of treads a and a are moved horizontally for a short distance in the same direction, as when the crank-pins pass their. highest and lowest center. This movement of the staircase makes it quite difficult to maintain ones balance while traversing the stairs.

The bridge B is sustained by uprights band has side rails I) and uprights 6 with which the hand-rails are connected. At the inner end of the bridge I have arranged a slide (1, made from a sheet of flexible steel 0, highly polished and The steel sheet has inclined side nets 0 connected therewith, (see Fig. 1,) which will protect a person from falling off the slide, but will not afford means for holding erect the person traversing the slide, and at the end of the slide the person will meet a vertical netting (1*.

The person using the apparatus, as soon as checked by the netting 66*, will step around onto a swinging platform D, that is suspended by rods d, connected at their upper ends with eyes (Z sustained by a top frame 6Z3. The platform is restricted in its movement by uprights CZ, yet it is free to swing for a limited distance and requires, it will be obvious, considerable agility to remain erect; but to aid in this the person may throw his arms about the uprights cf. From the swinging platform the person making the trip lands on a fixed incline E and has time enough to consider whether to turn to the right or left about the barrel f of a turn-table F, on which his feet land. The turn-table is set at an inclination from the horizontal, the barrel being vertical with relation to the turn-table. The turn-table rests on a number of wheels or balls sustained by a stationary support f set at an inclination to a horizontal plane, so that said turntable may turn freely in either direction, so that whichever way the traveler turns the weight of his body through his feet on the turn-table will enable him to wrestle with the barrel, and in most cases he will be satisfied to stop on the floor below the turn-table.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an amusement apparatus, stairs comprising a plurality of treads arranged in sets, and means to move said sets of treads vertically and horizontally.

2. In an amusement apparatus, stairs comprising a plurality of treads arranged in sets, and means to move said sets of treads vertically and horizontally in the same direction.

3. In an amusement apparatus, stairs comh prising a plurality of treads arranged in sets, means to move said sets of treads vertically in opposite directions and also horizontally.

4:. In an amusement apparatus, stairs comprising a plurality of treads arranged in sets, said sets being arranged between a bottom step and a bridge, and means to move simultaneously the said sets of treads both vertically and horizontally.

5. In an amusement apparatus, movable stairs, a bridge, and a slide at one end ol the bridge opposite the landing of the stairs.

6. An "amusement apparatus comprising movable stairs, a bridge, a flexible, smooth slide, a loosely-suspended platform, and a turn-table.

In testimony whereof I. have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERBERT N. It I l.) (1} \VA 1'.

\Vitnesses GEO. W. GREGORY, EDITH M. S'roDDAm). 

